TCI Change Enhancement

ABSTRACT

A user equipment (UE) is configured to change a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state. The receives, from the base station, a network flag indicating a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state change configuration for the network, determines a time span for continuing to use a current TCI state prior to switching to a new TCI state based on the network flag and switches to the new TCI state after the time span.

PRIORITY CLAIM/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 63/031,244 filed on May 28, 2020 and entitled “TCI ChangeEnhancement,” the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

A transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state contains parametersfor configuring a quasi co-location (QCL) relationship between one ormore downlink (DL) reference signals (DLRS) and corresponding antennaports. A TCI state change may be implemented by a network and indicatedto a user equipment (UE) in the network. The UE is expected to completethe switch from the former TCI state to the new TCI state within aspecified delay time.

SUMMARY

Some exemplary embodiments are related to a processor of a userequipment (UE) communicating with a base station of a network andconfigured to perform operations. The operations include receiving, fromthe base station, a network flag indicating a transmission configurationindicator (TCI) state change configuration for the network, determininga time span for continuing to use a current TCI state prior to switchingto a new TCI state based on the network flag and switching to the newTCI state after the time span.

Other exemplary embodiments are related to a user equipment (UE) havinga transceiver configured to communicate with a base station of a networkand a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver andconfigured to perform operations. The operations include receiving, fromthe base station, a network flag indicating a transmission configurationindicator (TCI) state change configuration for the network, determininga time span for continuing to use a current TCI state prior to switchingto a new TCI state based on the network flag and switching to the newTCI state after the time span.

Still further exemplary embodiments are related to a processor of a userequipment (UE) communicating with a base station of a network andconfigured to perform operations. The operations include receiving, fromthe base station, a TCI state change indicator in either one of a mediumaccess control (MAC) control element (CE) or a radio resource control(RRC) activation command, using a current TCI state for a first span oftime when the TCI state change indicator is MAC CE based and using acurrent TCI state for a second span of time different from the firstspan of time when the TCI state change indicator is RRC based.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a network arrangement according to various exemplaryembodiments.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary UE according to various exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary network base station according to variousexemplary embodiments.

FIG. 4a shows a first timing diagram for a TCI state change according tovarious exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 4b shows a second timing diagram for a TCI state change accordingto various exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 5 shows a method for determining a UE behavior based on a networkconfiguration for a TCI state change indicated by a network flagaccording to various exemplary embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference tothe following description and the related appended drawings, whereinlike elements are provided with the same reference numerals. Theexemplary embodiments describe configurations for a user equipment (UE)in a 5G New Radio (NR) network related to an allowable delay time forswitching a TCI state. The delay time may be specified differently invarious network releases, and a mismatch between releases may occurbetween, for example, a new release UE and a network using an olderrelease. Network and UE resources may be wasted when such a mismatchoccurs between the network expectation for the UE behavior and theactual UE behavior. According to some exemplary embodiments, a networkflag is used to indicate to the UE the network release or the networkTCI usage so that the UE behavior may align with the networkexpectation.

Network/Devices

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary network arrangement 100 according to variousexemplary embodiments. The exemplary network arrangement 100 includes auser equipment (UE) 110. Those skilled in the art will understand thatthe UE may be any type of electronic component that is configured tocommunicate via a network, e.g., mobile phones, tablet computers,smartphones, phablets, embedded devices, wearable devices, Cat-Mdevices, Cat-M1 devices, MTC devices, eMTC devices, other types ofInternet of Things (IoT) devices, etc. It should also be understood thatan actual network arrangement may include any number of UEs being usedby any number of users. Thus, the example of a single UE 110 is merelyprovided for illustrative purposes.

The UE 110 may communicate directly with one or more networks. In theexample of the network configuration 100, the networks with which the UE110 may wirelessly communicate are a 5G NR radio access network (5GNR-RAN) 120, an LTE radio access network (LTE-RAN) 122 and a wirelesslocal access network (WLAN) 124. Therefore, the UE 110 may include a 5GNR chipset to communicate with the 5G NR-RAN 120, an LTE chipset tocommunicate with the LTE-RAN 122 and an ISM chipset to communicate withthe WLAN 124. However, the UE 110 may also communicate with other typesof networks (e.g. legacy cellular networks) and the UE 110 may alsocommunicate with networks over a wired connection. With regard to theexemplary embodiments, the UE 110 may establish a connection with the 5GNR-RAN 122.

The 5G NR-RAN 120 and the LTE-RAN 122 may be portions of cellularnetworks that may be deployed by cellular providers (e.g., Verizon,AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.). These networks 120, 122 may include, for example,cells or base stations (Node Bs, eNodeBs, HeNBs, eNBS, gNBs, gNodeBs,macrocells, microcells, small cells, femtocells, etc.) that areconfigured to send and receive traffic from UEs that are equipped withthe appropriate cellular chip set. The WLAN 124 may include any type ofwireless local area network (WiFi, Hot Spot, IEEE 802.11x networks,etc.).

The UE 110 may connect to the 5G NR-RAN via at least one of the nextgeneration nodeB (gNB) 120A and/or the gNB 120B. The gNBs 120A, 120B maybe configured with the necessary hardware (e.g., antenna array),software and/or firmware to perform massive multiple in multiple out(MIMO) functionality. Massive MIMO may refer to a base station that isconfigured to generate a plurality of beams for a plurality of UEs.Reference to two gNBs 120A, 120B is merely for illustrative purposes.The exemplary embodiments may apply to any appropriate number of gNBs.

In addition to the networks 120, 122 and 124 the network arrangement 100also includes a cellular core network 130, the Internet 140, an IPMultimedia Subsystem (IMS) 150, and a network services backbone 160. Thecellular core network 130 may be considered to be the interconnected setof components that manages the operation and traffic of the cellularnetwork. The cellular core network 130 also manages the traffic thatflows between the cellular network and the Internet 140. The IMS 150 maybe generally described as an architecture for delivering multimediaservices to the UE 110 using the IP protocol. The IMS 150 maycommunicate with the cellular core network 130 and the Internet 140 toprovide the multimedia services to the UE 110. The network servicesbackbone 160 is in communication either directly or indirectly with theInternet 140 and the cellular core network 130. The network servicesbackbone 160 may be generally described as a set of components (e.g.,servers, network storage arrangements, etc.) that implement a suite ofservices that may be used to extend the functionalities of the UE 110 incommunication with the various networks.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary UE 110 according to various exemplaryembodiments. The UE 110 will be described with regard to the networkarrangement 100 of FIG. 1. The UE 110 may represent any electronicdevice and may include a processor 205, a memory arrangement 210, adisplay device 215, an input/output (I/O) device 220, a transceiver 225,and other components 230. The other components 230 may include, forexample, an audio input device, an audio output device, a battery thatprovides a limited power supply, a data acquisition device, ports toelectrically connect the UE 110 to other electronic devices, sensors todetect conditions of the UE 110, etc.

The processor 205 may be configured to execute a plurality of enginesfor the UE 110. For example, the engines may include a TCI state changedelay engine 235. The TCI state change delay engine 235 may performoperations including determining a span of time for continuing to use anold TCI state after receiving a TCI state change indicator from thenetwork. The UE 110 may make such a determination based on variousparameters involved in the TCI state change, including, for example,whether the TCI state change was implemented via a Medium AccessControl-Control Element (MAC-CE) or a Radio Resource Control (RRC)activation command. The specific implementations for various scenarioswill be described in further detail below.

The above referenced engine being an application (e.g., a program)executed by the processor 205 is only exemplary. The functionalityassociated with the engines may also be represented as a separateincorporated component of the UE 110 or may be a modular componentcoupled to the UE 110, e.g., an integrated circuit with or withoutfirmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include inputcircuitry to receive signals and processing circuitry to process thesignals and other information. The engines may also be embodied as oneapplication or separate applications. In addition, in some UEs, thefunctionality described for the processor 205 is split among two or moreprocessors such as a baseband processor and an applications processor.The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or otherconfigurations of a UE. The memory 210 may be a hardware componentconfigured to store data related to operations performed by the UE 110.

The display device 215 may be a hardware component configured to showdata to a user while the I/O device 220 may be a hardware component thatenables the user to enter inputs. The display device 215 and the I/Odevice 220 may be separate components or integrated together such as atouchscreen. The transceiver 225 may be a hardware component configuredto establish a connection with the 5G-NR RAN 120, the LTE RAN 122 etc.Accordingly, the transceiver 225 may operate on a variety of differentfrequencies or channels (e.g., set of consecutive frequencies).

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary network base station, in this case gNB 120A,according to various exemplary embodiments. As noted above with regardto the UE 110, the gNB 120A may represent a serving cell for the UE 110.The gNB 120A may represent any access node of the 5G NR network throughwhich the UEs 110 may establish a connection and manage networkoperations. The gNB 120A illustrated in FIG. 3 may also represent thegNB 120B.

The gNB 120A may include a processor 305, a memory arrangement 310, aninput/output (I/O) device 320, a transceiver 325, and other components330. The other components 330 may include, for example, an audio inputdevice, an audio output device, a battery, a data acquisition device,ports to electrically connect the gNB 120A to other electronic devices,etc.

The processor 305 may be configured to execute a plurality of engines ofthe gNB 120A. For example, the engines may include a network flag engine335. The network flag engine 335 may perform operations includinggenerating and transmitting a network flag to the UE 110 indicatingnetwork TCI configuration parameters. The network flag may indicate anetwork release that the network is supporting, or may directly indicatea TCI usage. The specific implementations for various scenarios will bedescribed in further detail below.

The above noted engines each being an application (e.g., a program)executed by the processor 305 is only exemplary. The functionalityassociated with the engines may also be represented as a separateincorporated component of the gNB 120A or may be a modular componentcoupled to the gNB 120A, e.g., an integrated circuit with or withoutfirmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include inputcircuitry to receive signals and processing circuitry to process thesignals and other information. In addition, in some gNBs, thefunctionality described for the processor 305 is split among a pluralityof processors (e.g., a baseband processor, an applications processor,etc.). The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these orother configurations of a gNB.

The memory 310 may be a hardware component configured to store datarelated to operations performed by the UEs 110, 112. The I/O device 320may be a hardware component or ports that enable a user to interact withthe gNB 120A. The transceiver 325 may be a hardware component configuredto exchange data with the UEs 110, 112 and any other UE in the system100, e.g. if the gNB 120A serves as a PCell or an SCell to either orboth of the UEs 110, 112. The transceiver 325 may operate on a varietyof different frequencies or channels (e.g., set of consecutivefrequencies). Therefore, the transceiver 325 may include one or morecomponents (e.g., radios) to enable the data exchange with the variousnetworks and UEs.

TCI State Change

A transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state contains parametersfor configuring a quasi co-location (QCL) relationship between one ormore downlink (DL) reference signals (DLRS) and corresponding antennaports, e.g., the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) ports of thephysical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), the DMRS port of the physicaldownlink control channel (PDCCH), or the channel state indicatorreference signal (CSI-RS) port(s) of a CSI-RS resource set. A userequipment (UE) may be configured with a list of up to M TCI stateconfigurations within the higher layer parameters for decoding the PDSCHaccording to a detected PDCCH with downlink control information (DCI)for the UE and a given serving cell, where M depends on the capabilityof the UE. The TCI states may be transmitted to the UE from the networkin a medium access layer (MAC) control element (CE), a DCI message, or aradio resource control (RRC) activation command.

A UE configured with one or more TCI state configurations on a servingcell shall complete the switch of the active TCI state within a delaydefined in, for example, 3GPP TS38.133 section 8.10. The TCI state isconsidered “known” by the UE if a set of conditions are met within aperiod spanning from a last transmission of the RS resource used for theLayer 1 Received Signal Reference Power (L1-RSRP) measurement reportingfor the target TCI state to the completion of the active TCI stateswitch. Otherwise, the TCI state may be considered “unknown.”

For a MAC-CE based TCI state switch, the delay is defined in 3GPPTS38.133 section 8.10.3 in the following manner.

If the target TCI state is known, upon receiving the PDSCH carrying aMAC-CE activation command in slot n, the UE shall be able to receive thePDCCH with the target TCI state of the serving cell on which the TCIstate switch occurs no later than in slot n+T_(HARQ)+(3ms+TO_(k)*(T_(first-SSB)+T_(SSB-proc)))/NR slot length (Equation 1). TheUE shall be able to receive the PDCCH with the old TCI state until slotn+T_(HARQ) (3 ms+TO_(k)*(T_(first-SSB)))/NR slot length (Equation 2).T_(HARQ) represents the timing between the DL data transmission andcorresponding acknowledgement, as specified in 3GPP TS 38.213.T_(first-SSB) represents the timing between the MAC CE command beingdecoded by the UE to the first SSB transmission after, where the SSBshall be the QCL-TypeA or QCL-TypeC for the target TCI state.T_(SSB-proc)=2 ms. TO_(k)=1 if the target TCI state is not in the activeTCI state list for the PDSCH, and TO_(k)=0 if the target TCI state is inthe active TCI state list for the PDSCH.

If the target TCI state is unknown, upon receiving the PDSCH carrying aMAC-CE activation command in slot n, the UE shall be able to receive thePDCCH with the target TCI state of the serving cell on which the TCIstate switch occurs no later than in slot n+T_(HARQ)+(3 ms+T_(L1-RSRP)TO_(uk)*(T_(first-SSB) T_(SSB-proc)))/NR slot length (Equation 3). TheUE shall be able to receive the PDCCH with the old TCI state until slotn+T_(HARQ)+(3 ms+T_(L1-RSRP)+TO_(uk)*(T_(first-SSB)))/NR slot length(Equation 4). T_(L1-RSRP) represents the time for an L1-RSRP measurementfor Rx beam refinement, and is defined asT_(L1-RSPR_Measurement_Period_SSB) for an SSB as specified in clause9.5.4.1 or T_(L1-RSPR_Measurement_Period_CSI-RS) for CSI-RS as specifiedin clause 9.5.4.2, subject to various other considerations as defined in3GPP TS38.133 section 8.10.3. TO_(uk)=1 for a CSI-RS based L1-RSRPmeasurement, and TO_(uk)=0 for an SSB based L1-RSRP measurement when theTCI state switching involves QCL-TypeD. TO_(uk)=1 when the TCI stateswitching involves other QCL types.

During a MAC-CE based TCI state switch the UE is allowed an interruptiondue to a one shot timing adjustment on the serving cell or any activatedserving cells as defined in clause 8.2.

For an RRC based TCI state switch, the delay is defined in 3GPP TS38.133section 8.10.5 in the following manner.

If the target TCI state is known, upon receiving the PDSCH carrying anRRC activation command at slot n, the UE shall be able to receive thePDCCH with a target TCI state of the serving cell on which the TCI stateswitch occurs no later than at slotn+T_(RRC_processing)+TO_(k)*(T_(first-SSB)+T_(SSB-proc))/NR slot length(Equation 5). T_(RRC_processing) represents the RRC processing delay,and T_(SSB-proc) and TO_(k) are defined above. The UE is not required toreceive the PDCCH/PDSCH or transmit the PUCCH/PUSCH until the end of theswitching period. T_(first-SSB) represents the time span from the RRCprocessing by the UE to a first SSB transmission after the RRCprocessing. The SSB shall be the QCL-TypeA or QCL-TypeC to the targetTCI state.

If the target TCI state is unknown, upon receiving the PDSCH carrying anRRC activation command at slot n, the UE shall be able to receive thePDCCH with the target TCI state of the serving cell on which the TCIstate switch occurs no later than at slotn+(T_(RRC_processing)+T_(L1-RSRP)+TO_(uk)*(T_(first-SSB)+T_(SSB-proc)))/NRslot length (Equation 6). The UE is not required to receive thePDCCH/PDSCH or transmit the PUCCH/PUSCH until the end of switchingperiod. T_(first-SSB) represents the time span from the L1-RSRPmeasurement to a first SSB transmission after the L1-RSRP measurementwhen the TCI state switching involves QCL-TypeD. T_(first-SSB)represents the time span from the RRC processing by the UE to a firstSSB transmission after the RRC processing for other QCL types. The SSBshall be the QCL-TypeA or QCL-TypeC to the target TCI state.

During the RRC based TCI state switch, the UE is allowed an interruptiondue to one shot timing adjustment on the serving or any activatedserving cells as defined in clause 8.2.

In 3GPP TS38.214 section 5.1.5, it is specified that when the HARQ-ACKcorresponding to the PDSCH carrying the activation command istransmitted in slot n, the indicated mapping between TCI states andcodepoints of the DCI field ‘Transmission Configuration Indication’should be applied starting from the first slot that is after slotn+3N_(slot).

As mentioned above, in the RAN4 spec 3GPP TS38.133 section 8.10.3,Equation 1 specifies the allowable delay for receiving the PDCCH with atarget TCI state and Equation 2 specifies the UE behavior for receivingthe PDCCH. However, future releases may change the specification byremoving the TO_(k)*(T_(first-SSB)) terms from Equation 2 to comply withRAN1 requirements. Thus, a future release may specify that the UE shallbe able to receive the PDCCH with the old TCI state until slotn+T_(HARQ)+(3 ms)/NR slot length (Equation 2a).

FIG. 4a shows a first timing diagram 400 for a TCI state changeaccording to a first option. The first option incorporates the UEbehavior from Equation 2a, discussed above. In the time gap 405 spanningfrom slot n+T_(HARQ)+(3 ms/NR slot length) to the end of the TCIswitching delay (this delay is a specified value in RAN4 requirement),the UE is not required to receive any DL data and the network will notschedule this UE during this time gap 405.

FIG. 4b shows a second timing diagram 450 for a TCI state changeaccording to a second option. The second option incorporates the UEbehavior from Equation 2 discussed above. In the second option, the UEshall be able to receive the PDCCH with the old TCI state (i.e. the TCIstate prior to switching) until slot n+T_(HARQ)+(3ms+TO_(k)*(T_(first-SSB)))/NR slot length. In the time gap 455 spanningfrom the start of the first SSB block to the end of the TCI switchingdelay, the UE is not required to receive any DL data and the networkwill not schedule this UE during this time gap 455.

The time gap 405 for the first option is large relative to the time gap455 for the second option. Based on the two different implementationoptions discussed above, an issue arises. If a new release UE enters anetwork that uses the first option, the network will expect UE behaviorin accordance with the first option and will not schedule the UE duringT_(first-SSB). However, the new release UE may act in accordance withthe second option and try to receive the data or control channels duringT_(first-SSB). Because of this backward compatibility issue, resourceswill be wasted on both the UE side and the network side. Thus, the twoimplementation options should be aligned.

Network Flag to Indicate TCI Configuration

According to some exemplary embodiments, a network flag may be used toindicate network release information (new or old) to the UE. Based onthe network release information, the UE may derive which TCI option thenetwork is implementing and behave in accordance therewith. In otherexemplary embodiments, the network flag may be used to indicate a TCIusage (new or old) directly. The network flag may be used during thetriggering of the TCI change to the UE on slot n. In other words, theflag may be transmitted in a same manner as a TCI state changeindicator. After receiving the information, the UE decides which UEbehavior to use during the TCI switching.

If the flag indicates the network is a new release, the UE will keepusing the old TCI for a predefined time span based on the parameters ofthe TCI switch. In the exemplary embodiments described herein, the TCIswitch may be implemented via a medium access control (MAC) controlelement (CE) or a radio resource control (RRC) activation command. Atime span for using the old TCI is determined depending on whether theTCI change is MAC CE implemented or RRC implemented, whether the TCI isknown or unknown to the UE, and whether TO_(k) or TO_(uk) is equal to 0or 1. The following exemplary embodiments describe UE behavior when thenetwork flag indicates the network is a new release network(implementing option 1) or that the network is using a new release TCIusage (implementing option 1).

For a MAC CE based TCI change, if the TCI is known to the UE andTO_(k)=1, the UE will keep using the old TCI until the beginning of afirst available SSB after the timing point of (slot n+T_(HARQ)+(3 ms/NRslot length)).

For a MAC CE based TCI change, if the TCI is known to the UE andTO_(k)=0, the UE will keep using the old TCI until slot n+T_(HARQ)+(3ms/NR slot length).

For a MAC CE based TCI change, if the TCI is unknown to the UE andTO_(uk)=1, the UE will keep using the old TCI until the beginning of afirst available SSB after the timing point of (slot n+T_(HARQ)+((3ms+T_(L1-RSRP))/NR slot length)).

For a MAC CE based TCI change, if the TCI is unknown to the UE andTO_(uk)=0, the UE will keep using the old TCI until slot n+T_(HARQ)+((3ms+T_(L1-RSRP))/NR slot length).

For an RRC-based TCI change, if the TCI is known to the UE and TO_(k)=1,the UE will keep using the old TCI until the beginning of a firstavailable SSB after the timing point of (slot n+T_(RRC_processing)).

For an RRC-based TCI change, if the TCI is known to the UE and TO_(k)=0,the UE will keep using the old TCI until (slot n+T_(RRC_processing)).

For an RRC-based TCI change, if the TCI is unknown to the UE andTO_(uk)=1, the UE will keep using the old TCI until the beginning of afirst available SSB after the timing point of slotn+(T_(RRC_processing)+T_(L1-RSRP))/NR slot length).

For an RRC-based TCI change, if the TCI is unknown to the UE andTO_(uk)=0, the UE will keep using the old TCI until slotn+(T_(RRC_processing)+T_(L1-RSRP))/NR slot length).

If the network flag indicates the network is an old release network, theUE will keep using the old TCI until slot n+T_(HARQ)+(3 ms/NR slotlength) for MAC CE based TCI change and until slot n+T_(HARQ) for an RRCbased TCI change.

FIG. 5 shows a method 500 for determining a user equipment (UE) behaviorbased on a network configuration for a TCI state change indicated by anetwork flag.

In 505, the network implements a TCI state change for the UE andincludes a network flag in the TCI state change indicator. In oneembodiment, the network flag indicates whether the network is a newrelease network or an old release network. The new release network mayimplement the first option discussed above, and the old release networkmay implement the second option discussed above. In another embodiment,the network flag directly indicates a TCI usage as either one of thefirst option or the second option. The TCI state change indicator sentfrom the network to the UE may be MAC CE based or RRC based.

In 510, the UE determines a TCI usage for the network based on thenetwork flag, i.e., whether the network is using the first option or thesecond option.

In 515, the UE continues using the old TCI state, i.e., the TCI statethe UE was in when it received the TCI state change indicator, for agiven span of time. The time span is dependent on whether the TCI statechange indicator is MAC CE based or RRC based, whether the TCI state isknown or unknown, and the value of the TO_(k) or TO_(uk) parameter. TheUE behaves in accordance with the network expectation. In 520, the UEswitches to the new TCI state after the time span.

In a second exemplary embodiment, no network flag is used. However, a UETCI usage may be determined based on whether the TCI change is indicatedby a MAC CE or by the RRC. The UE may receive a triggering for the TCIchange on slot n. For a MC CE based TCI change, the UE may keep usingthe old TCI until slot n+T_(HARQ)+(3 ms/NR slot length). For an RRCbased TCI change, the UE may keep using the old TCI until slotn+T_(HARQ).

Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-describedexemplary embodiments may be implemented in any suitable software orhardware configuration or combination thereof. An exemplary hardwareplatform for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, forexample, an Intel x86 based platform with compatible operating system, aWindows OS, a Mac platform and MAC OS, a mobile device having anoperating system such as iOS, Android, etc. In a further example, theexemplary embodiments of the above described method may be embodied as aprogram containing lines of code stored on a non-transitory computerreadable storage medium that, when compiled, may be executed on aprocessor or microprocessor.

Although this application described various embodiments each havingdifferent features in various combinations, those skilled in the artwill understand that any of the features of one embodiment may becombined with the features of the other embodiments in any manner notspecifically disclaimed or which is not functionally or logicallyinconsistent with the operation of the device or the stated functions ofthe disclosed embodiments.

It is well understood that the use of personally identifiableinformation should follow privacy policies and practices that aregenerally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmentalrequirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular,personally identifiable information data should be managed and handledso as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use,and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications may be made in the present disclosure, without departingfrom the spirit or the scope of the disclosure. Thus, it is intendedthat the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of thisdisclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claimsand their equivalent.

1. A processor of a user equipment (UE) communicating with a basestation of a network and configured to perform operations comprising:receiving, from the base station, a network flag indicating atransmission configuration indicator (TCI) state change configurationfor the network; determining a time span for continuing to use a currentTCI state prior to switching to a new TCI state based on the networkflag; and switching to the new TCI state after the time span.
 2. Theprocessor of claim 1, wherein the network flag indicates a currentrelease on which the network is operating.
 3. The processor of claim 1,wherein the network flag indicates a TCI usage release on which thenetwork is operating.
 4. The processor of claim 1, wherein the networkflag is transmitted with a TCI state change indicator.
 5. The processorof claim 4, wherein the TCI state change indicator is transmitted via amedium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or a radio resourcecontrol (RRC) activation command.
 6. The processor of claim 5, wherein,when a new release is indicated for the network, the time span isdetermined based on whether the TCI state change is MAC CE implementedor RRC implemented.
 7. The processor of claim 6, wherein the time spanis further determined based on whether the new TCI state is known orunknown to the UE.
 8. The processor of claim 7, wherein the time span isfurther determined based on a value for a TO_(k) parameter or a TO_(uk)parameter.
 9. The processor of claim 1, wherein, when an old release isindicated for the network, the UE determines the time span based only onwhether the TCI state change is MAC CE implemented or RRC implemented.10. A user equipment (UE) comprising: a transceiver configured tocommunicate with a base station of a network; and a processorcommunicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to performoperations comprising: receiving, from the base station, a network flagindicating a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state changeconfiguration for the network; determining a time span for continuing touse a current TCI state prior to switching to a new TCI state based onthe network flag; and switching to the new TCI state after the timespan.
 11. The UE of claim 10, wherein the network flag indicates acurrent release on which the network is operating.
 12. The UE of claim10, wherein the network flag indicates a TCI usage release on which thenetwork is operating.
 13. The UE of claim 10, wherein the network flagis transmitted with a TCI state change indicator via a medium accesscontrol (MAC) control element (CE) or a radio resource control (RRC)activation command.
 14. The UE of claim 13, wherein, when a new releaseis indicated for the network, the time span is determined based onwhether the TCI state change is MAC CE implemented or RRC implemented.15. The UE of claim 14, wherein the time span is further determinedbased on whether the new TCI state is known or unknown to the UE. 16.The UE of claim 15, wherein the time span is further determined based ona value for a TO_(k) parameter or a TO_(uk) parameter.
 17. The UE ofclaim 10, wherein, when an old release is indicated for the network, theUE determines the time span based only on whether the TCI state changeis MAC CE implemented or RRC implemented.
 18. A processor of a userequipment (UE) communicating with a base station of a network andconfigured to perform operations comprising: receiving, from the basestation, a TCI state change indicator in either one of a medium accesscontrol (MAC) control element (CE) or a radio resource control (RRC)activation command; using a current TCI state for a first span of timewhen the TCI state change indicator is MAC CE based; using a current TCIstate for a second span of time different from the first span of timewhen the TCI state change indicator is RRC based.
 19. The processor ofclaim 18, wherein the first span of time is determined based on slotn+T_(HARQ)+(3 ms/slot length), where slot n is the slot in which the MACCE was received, and T_(HARQ) is a time during which hybrid automaticrepeat request (HARQ) communications for the slot n occur.
 20. Theprocessor of claim 18, wherein the second span of time is determinedbased on slot n+T_(HARQ) where slot n is the slot in which the MAC CEwas received, and T_(HARQ) is a time during which hybrid automaticrepeat request (HARQ) communications for the slot n occur.